Logging wire-rope carriage.



A. OPSAL.

LOGGING WIRE ROPE CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. I915.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I- wmvzss I M INVENTUR m;. a%. Andrew O pYaZ m: mwmsPEYERS ca. mvm umon WASNINGNN. n, r:

A. OPSAL.

LOGGING WIRE ROPE CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 10. l9l5.

1 05,778 Patented Nov. 21, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

magi.

INVENTOB flndmw Upaal ms NDRR'S FEYI'RS ca, Pnoru LIIHll. wasnnvs ran.a. c

ATTORNEYS ANDREW OPSAL, OF VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA.

LOGGING WIRE-ROPE CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 21, 1-916.

Applica'tion filed December 10 1915. Serial No. 66,192.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, ANDREW Orsan, a citizen of the Dominion of Canada,residing at Vancouver, in the Province of British Columbia, Canada, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Logging ire-RopeCarriages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a carriage for overhead wire rope transmissionof that class used for the conveyance of logs from the woods to theyarding-in station for transport by rail or water. lVith this overheadsystem of wire ropeconveyance of logs, a track rope from the yarding-instation out into the woods is supported at a suitable height from theground, on which track rope a carriage ,is operated by a hauling line ofwire rope from the drums of a donkey engine located beyond theyarding-in station. To this carriage the logs are snaked by the haulingline from the place of cutting on either side of the track rope and areelevated to the carriage for transmission to the yard ing-in station.

The improvements as set forth in this application enable the overheadcarriage to automatically secure itself to any desired position on the.track rope, from which position the hauling-in rope from the donkeyengine may be .drawn out laterally from the carriage to the place ofcutting. After the load is connected to the tag line of the hauling-inrope the load is snaked through the woods to the track rope and islifted off the ground and secured to the carriage. When the load is sosecured the carriage is automatically released from its attachment onthe track rope and is free to travel with its load along the .rope tothe yarding-in station where it is automatically latched and the loadreleased, and the carriage is then automatically released from itsattachment at the yarding-in station that it may be moved out foranother load.

The particular means by which these objects are attained are fully setforth in the followingspecification, reference being made to the dawings by which it is accompanied, in Which:

Figure l is a side elevation of the carriage and its rope .conuectionthe front plate of the carriage being removed to reveal the severalconnected mechanisms. Fig. 2 is a detail elevation of the loadsustaining pawl with its movements indicated by dot and dash lines. Fig.3 is a plan of the same, and Fig. l is a detail section of the carriagerelease and load sustaining attachment of the hauling-in line. Fig. .5is a diagrammatic view illustrating the invention in use.

In these drawings 2 represents the track rope on which the carriage 3runs on shea ves 4: from the yarding-in endof the rope at out into thewoods from which the logs are being brought. The hauling-in rope fromone of the drums 6 of the donkey engine adjacent the yarding-in end 5 isrepresented. ,by 6 and the haulingout rope, by which the carriage isdrawn into the woods, is represented by 7.

The outer end of the hauling-in rope 6 from the donkey engine passesover a sheave 8 in the upper part of the carriage 3 and down between twosheaves 9 and 10 and lateral rollers 14 mounted in the lower part of thesame, and is connected by a link 11 to the tag line 12 to which the loadof logs is connected, so that the tag line forms a connectedcontinuation from the end of the hauling-in rope. The hauling-out rope 7from the other drum 7 of the same donkey engine passes around a sheave 7approximately in the line of the track 2 at a location beyond thedesired limit 13 of movement of the carriage thereon, and therefrompasses around another sheave 7 in the woods beyond the location fromwhich the logs are to be brought in, which location may be some distanceon either side of the track 2, and the outer end of this hauling-outrope 7 is then connected to the same link 11 that connects the haulinginrope 6 to the tag line 12, see Fig. 5. So connected the hauling-out ropemay draw the carriage 3 out along the track rope 2 to the desired limit13 of its movement thereon and therefrom will haul out the tag line 12and hauling-in rope 6 into the woods laterally from the carriage 3 onthe track rope 2 to the place from which the load of logs is to betaken. When the load is connected to the tag line 12 the hauling-outline 7 is paid out from the drum of the donkey engine and the haulin -inline is drawn in to draw the load from the position in the woods to thecarriage 011 the track rope and thereafter will pull the carriage alongthe track rope to the yarding-in station. No claim for novelty is madeon this operation, but to enable the operation to be conductedautomatically,

means is provided for automatically latch-.

is also provided whereby the load, when elevated from the ground to thecarriage 3, may be sustained there, and cooperatively with thissustaining means when the load has been elevated the carriage isautomatically released from the securing means to the track rope so thatit is free to travel along the track rope to the yarding-in station. Themechanism is so designed that after the load arrives at the yarding-instation the carriage will automatically latch itself there and thelatching action releases the sustaining means and permits the load to belowered. When the load is removed the tackle may be lifted to thecarriage and will be automatically secured there, and the same movementof the rope which lifts the tackle unlatches the carriage and leaves itfree to be drawn out again to the other end of the track or to thelocation thereon from which the hauling-in rope is carried to the placeof cutting. At this location the carriage is again automatically latchedand the end of the load hauling rope with its connected tackle issimultaneously released from the carriage and continues its movement tothe place from which the logs are being conveyed for connection to it ofanother load.

The mechanism by which these several functions are automaticallyperformed is as follows: Secured on the track rope 2 adj acent to theyarding-in station is a member 5 having a conical end directed towardthe outer end of the track 2 and shouldered toward the donkey engine,which is at that end of the line. A similar member 13 is secured on thetrack line 2 at the desired outward limit of the carriage 3 thereon, theconical end of which member 13 is directed toward the yarding-in stationand shouldered toward the outer end of the line. These conical membersmay be secured in any convenient manner on the' track rope and beingconical their eflicacy as a means for latching the carriage to is notafiiected by twisting of the rope.

Pivot-ally mounted at 15 on the carriage 3 over the sheave 8, over whichthe hauling-in rope passes, is a latch lever 16, the outer end of whichis designed to engage and retain a hold of the shouldered projection ofthe member 5 at the yarding-in station and the inner end of this lever16 is pin and slot connected at 17 to the inner end of a similar latchlever 18 pivotally mounted at 19 at the other end of the carriage, theouter end of which latch lever is designed to engage the shoulderedPlOJGCtlOD of the member 18 which is secured on the track rope 2 at anydesired outward limit of the movement of the carriage thereon.

Mounted on a pin 20 above the sheave 1.0 is a pawl 21, the end 22 ofwhich is articulated on a pivot L3 to move in the plane of the pawlsmovement in either direction from the straight alinement of the pawl.The articulated outer end 23 is designed to normally rest on the upperside of the sheave 9 or other suitable support and may be fork-ended topermit the rope 6 to pass through it around that sheave, or the sheavemay be groovedto effect the same object. The articulated end 23,although it may move in either direction from its straight alinementwith the pawl 21. to which it is connected, is constrained, see Fig. 2,to maintain a position in alinement with that pawl by a spring or othermeans that will return it to its normal position of straight alinement.The body 21 of the pawl is checked against downward movement by a pin 26secured on the frame 8.

Secured on the hauling-in rope 6 adjacent the connection of the tag line12 thereto, is a member 25, such that when the end of the line 6 isdrawn in to the carriage this member 25 will lift and pass thearticulated end of the pawl 21 but that end 22, after the member 25 haspassed it, will spring back to its normal position, and will by thesupport of that articulated end resting on the upper side of the sheave9, prevent the line (3 moving backward until it is required to do so.The member 25 is preferably made as a wired enlargement interlaced inthe rope 6 which enlargement fits between two cupped members securedtogether, as shown in Fig. 1. The member 25, after passing the pawl 21,will, as it attempts to pass over the sheave 8, engage the inwardlyprojecting portion of the latch lever 16, and that lever being connectedto the latch lever 18 will lift the inner end of 1S and release theouter latch end from engagement with the shoulder of the conical end 13secured on the track rope and W111 leave the carriage 3 free to move onthe track rope under the tension on the hauling-in rope 6 which lifted11-" the load to the carriage 3.

The pawl 21 is connected intermediate of its ends, by a link 24 to oneof the two latch levers so that as either latch lever is lifted the pawl21 with its end 22 will be lifted a suflicient amount to permit the endof 22 to clear its support on the sheave 9 and allow the member 25 onthe hauling-in rope 6 to pass out and thereby lower any load that may beon it, or will permit the hauling-in rope 6 to be drawn out from thecarriage 3 when the rope 7 is drawing it back to the woods for anotherload.

In use, when the carriage 3 with a loadarrives at the yarding-instation, the latch it;

end of the lever 16 engages and is secured to the conical member 5secured on the track rope at that end. The latching of the carriagelifts the pawl 21 and the load falls to the ground. The load is thenremoved and the hauling-in rope 6 is wound in by the donkey engine tolift and secure the tag line 12 and its connected tackle to the carriage8. 1V hen the member 25 secured near the end of the hauling-in ropeGpasses to the upper side of the pawl 21 22, it engages and lifts theinner end of the lever 1.6 and lowers the outer latch end of the same torelease the carriage from the member 5 by which it was retained inposition, and the carriage falls away from that attachment. Thehauling-out rope 7 is then wound in on the drum ofthe donkey engine andthe haulingin rope 6 is allowed to run out, the member 25 being abovethe pawl end 22 cannot fall back so that it is sustained in itsconnection to the carriage 3 as the carriage is drawn out along thetrack 2 by the hauling-out rope 7 to the desired position 13 on thetrack rope where it is automatically latched by the latch lever 18. Thelatching movement sinnilta'neoi'lsly lifts'the pawl 21 and permits thesustaining member 25 on the hauling-in rope (3 to pass out and withoutcheck this rope 6 and its connected tag line 12 and tackle are drawnfrom the carriage 3 into the woods to the place from which the next loadis to be taken. hen the next load of logs is connected to the tag line12 the drum of the hauling-out rope 7 on the donkey engine isdisconnected and the rope 6 is wound in, and the load of logs is snakedby it from the woods to the carriage 3 on the track line 2 and iselevated to the carriage until the member 25 engages and lifts thearticulated outer end 22 of the sustaining pawl 21 and thereafterengages and lifts the inner end of the latch lever 16, which inner endbeing connected to the inner end of the latch lever 18 releases theouter end of that lever from the attachment 13 on the track rope towhich the carriage is latched, and the carriage with the load suspendedfrom it on the member 25 is drawn by oontinuedhaul of the rope 6 to theyarding-in station where it is automatically latched to themember 5, Thelatching movement as before described simultaneously lifts the pawl 21and permits the suspended load to fall. The load is then moved and theoperation previously described is repeated.

It will be noted that the entire operation of snaking in the load,lifting it to the carriage 3, releasing the carriage 3 and per mittingit to travel on the line 2 to the yard ing-in station at 5, and thelowering of the load there, is automatically performed by the operationof the donkey engine and no further attendance is required than thatnecessary in attaching the load to the tag line in the woods and therelease of the load from the tag line at the yarding-in station. Again,the lifting of the empty tackle to the carriage at the yarding-instation, the release of the carriage from that station, the attachmentof the carriage at the location 13, the release of the hauling-in linepermitting the tag line and its connected tackle to be drawn from thecarriage 3 into the woods is also automatically performed by theoperation of the donkey engine.

The use of this device not only effects a considerable saving of laborbut what is of greater importance avoids the necessity of attendance inthe line of movement of the h logs, which Services are unavoidablyattendant with great danger to life and limb.

Having now particularly described my invention, I hereby declare thatwhat I claim as new and desire to be protected in by Let ters Patent,is:

1. In an overhead transmission system, the combination with an overheadtrack rope and a carriage endwise movable thereon, a member secured tothe track at each end of the desired limit of movement of the carriagethereon, a latch lever pivotally mounted at each end of the carriage,the outer end of each lever designed to engage and secure the carriageto the member secured to the track, the inner end of which latch leversare connected that they may move together, a. sheave mounted in thecarriage under one of the latch levers, over which sheave a rope bywhich the carriage is drawn on the track passes before connection to theload, a member secured on the hauling rope adjacent the connection ofthe load thereto which member is designed to engage the inner end of thelatch lever adjacent the sheave over which the line passes, and meanslocated beneath the sheave over which the line passes for sustaining theload on the latch operating projection secured on the hauling rope.

2. In an overhead transmission system, the combination with an overheadtrack rope and a carriage endwise movable thereon, of means forautomatically securing the carriage to the track at each end of thedesired limit of movement of the carriage thereon, a sheave mounted inthe carriage over which sheave a carriage hauling rope passes forconnection to the load, a member secured to the hauling rope adjacentthe connection of the load thereto, which member is adapted toautomatically release the carriage connection to the track when drawnwithin the carriage, a load-sustaining pawl pivotally mounted in thelower part of the carriage, said pawl having an end pivotally connectedto it and normally projecting in alinement with it, resilient meansreturning this pawl end to its normal position of alinement, a stoplimiting downward movement of the main pawl, a stop limiting downwardmovement of the pivotally mounted pawl end, and means connected with thecarriage releasing means for lifting the pawl off its stop.

3. In an overhead transmission system, the combination with an overheadtrack rope and a carriage endwise movable thereon, a member secured onthe track rope at each end of the desired limit of movement of thecarriage thereon, said member having a conical end directed toward thecarriage and a shoulder at the opposite end, a latch lever pivotallymounted on each end of the carriage and projecting beyond its end toengage the shouldered end of the member secured on the t "ack rope, theinner ends of which latch levers are connected to move together, asheave mounted on the carriage beneath the inwardly projecting end ofone of the latch levers over which sheave the rope from the donkeyengine passes which hauls in the carriage the end of which hauling-inrope is connected to the load and to the line from the donkey enginewhich hauls out the carriage, a member secured on the hauling-in ropeadjacent the load connection thereto which member is adapted to engageand lift the inner end of the latch lever to effect release of thecarriage from either member secured on the track rope, a load sustainingpawl pivotally mounted in the lower part of the carriage, said pawlarticulated intermediate of its ends to move in the same plane as thegeneral movement of the pawl, said pawl end adapted to permit passageupward of the carriage releasing attachment on the hauling-in line butpreventing backward movement of the same, resilient means formaintaining the articulated end in alinement with the pawl, a stoplimiting downward movement of the main pawl, a stop limiting downwardmovement of the articulated end of the pawl, a connection between themain part of the pawl and one of the carriage latch levers wherebymovement of either latch lever to release the carriage will lift themain pawl and permfi its articulated end to move downward and the membersecured on the hauling-in rope to pass out.

4. In an overhead transmission system, the combination with an overheadtrack rope and a carriage endwise movable thereon, latch members on thetrack rope between the locations of which the carriage is movable,oppositely disposed latching levers mounted on the carriage and having apin and slot connection with one another, a pawl mounted on thecarriage, a link connecting the pawl with one of said levers, a sheaveon the carriage, a hauling in rope passing over said sheave, said pawlhaving its free end adapted to rest on said sheave, a stop on saidhauling in rope adapted to engage the end of said pawl to move said pawlto release the carriage, a stop pin on the carriage for restraining themovement of said pawl in one direction, said pawl being adapted torestrain said hauling in rope when said rope abutment has passed thefree end of said pawl on the hauling in movement, said hauling in ropeabutment adapted to engage one of said levers for releasingpurposes,substantially as shown and described.

5. In an overhead transmission system, the combination with an overheadtrack rope and a carriage endwise movable thereon, latch members on thetrack rope between the locations of which the carriage is movable,oppositely disposed latching levers mounted on the carriage and having apin and slot connection with one another, a pawl mounted on thecarriage, a link connecting the pawl with one of said levers, a sheaveon the carriage, a hauling in rope passing over said sheave, said pawlhaving its free end adapted to rest on said sheave, a stop on saidhauling in rope adapted to engage the end of said pawl to move said pawlto release the carriage, a stop pin on the carriage for restraining themovement of said pawl in one direction, said pawl being adapted torestrain said hauling in rope when said rope abutment has passedthe freeend of said pawl on the hauling in movement, said hauling in ropeabutment adapted to engage one of said levers I for releasing purposes,said pawl having the end which engages said sheave articulated and meanstending to hold the parts of said pawl in alinement.

6. The combination with the track rope and the carriage which runs alongthe rope, of latch-stops at the extremities of the track, a pair ofoppositely disposed and connected latch levers mount-ed on the carriage,hauling line sheaves on the carriage over which .the hauling linepasses, a stop fixed on the hauling line, and an articulated pawl devicecooperative with the line stop and the latches for releasing thecarriage and sustaining the load.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ANDREW OPSAL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

